Dodgers pitcher Dennis Santana works on a drill a few weeks ago at the team’s spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz. The 21-year-old Dominican is a former shortstop who has been turned into a pitcher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Dodgers relief pitcher Dennis Santana throws during the sixth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Thursday, March 1, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Dodgers pitcher Dennis Santana works on a drill a few weeks ago at the team’s spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz. The 21-year-old Dominican is a former shortstop who has been turned into a pitcher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

GLENDALE, Ariz. — When the Dodgers approached Dennis Santana about the idea of turning him into a pitcher, the lanky shortstop from the Dominican Republic had two very good reasons to buy in. One, he had little chance of making the major leagues as a hitter. Two, he liked throwing baseballs as hard as he could.

The Dodgers signed Santana at age 16. Like a lot of teenagers, he didn’t always respond well to failure. If he didn’t hit the ball well, he would sometimes refuse to run it out and pout. To motivate him, a coach threatened to turn him into a pitcher before he was ready.

Santana finished his only professional season as a hitter with a .198 batting average in the Dominican Summer League. Ready or not, the mound beckoned.

Santana, who turns 22 in April, now has four full seasons of pitching on his resumé. He will probably begin the season in the rotation at Double-A. After being promoted to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster over the winter, Santana might not much more seasoning.

“He’s a big-league pitcher in my mind,” said outfielder D.J. Peters, who played with Santana last year at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. “Whether it’s this year or next year, for sure he has all the tools, has the arm, the pitches.”

The Dodgers’ brass has particularly been impressed by Santana’s sinker, which he throws consistently in the mid-90 mph range. And he still likes to throw the ball hard every time.

Last year Santana posted a 3.57 ERA in 17 games (14 starts) in the hitter-friendly California League, striking out 92 batters in 85⅔ innings. He was promoted to Double-A Tulsa and logged numbers (5.51 ERA, 23 walks in 32⅔ innings) that make a repeat logical.

Asked what he spent the year working on, Santana said “breathing.”

“If I don’t breathe right, then the ball starts going everywhere,” he explained through an interpreter. “There’s a difference between a pitcher and a thrower. A thrower can just throw anywhere. The pitcher is the one who can find his location, hit his spots. That’s the biggest difference. That’s where I try to focus.”

The Dodgers already have two converted position players in their bullpen, Kenley Jansen and Pedro Baez. Santana, like his predecessors, is in the process of evolving beyond his raw tools to get the most out of his right arm.

“It’s just fine-tuning command, understanding to pound the bottom of the zone, taking a little bit of (velocity) off the changeup and how to get big league hitters out; how to game plan,” said Brandon Gomes, the Dodgers’ director of player development. “That’s a lot for a 21-year-old kid, but the stuff is electric.”

Santana has already shown a willingness to take on a lot. In December he threw a dinner party for the children of his little league chapter in San Pedro de Macoris. A local association recognized Santana for his generosity, and he was presented with an award by Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano and his father, Jose. It was a far cry from the kid who was once too frustrated to run out a ground ball.

Santana is named after two professional athletes. Interestingly, neither plays baseball. His father, Jose, likes basketball and was a fan of Dennis Rodman and Anfernee Hardaway. That, someday, will make it easier to remember the name Dennis Anfernee Santana.

BRING ON THE RELIEVERS

Kenley Jansen will make his Cactus League debut Friday, when he’s expected to pitch an inning against the Kansas City Royals. Jansen has done most of his mound work so far in non-competitive settings. He did pitch in a “B” game Monday against the Chicago White Sox.

Left-hander Tony Cingrani and right-hander Josh Fields appeared in that game as well. They’re the only other members’ of the Dodgers’ projected eight-man bullpen who have yet to appear in a Cactus League game.

Roberts said all of these relievers are healthy.

“Spring training, to build those guys up doesn’t take a whole lot,” Roberts said. “We just want to make sure they feel good and strong, and make sure they’re built up for that one-(inning)-plus” appearance when the regular season begins.

Cingrani is expected to see his first game action before Fields. Fields has not been dealing with an injury, Roberts said, but “we just want to make sure that mechanically, physically he feels fine.”

ALSO

Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon visited camp and spoke to the players during the team’s daily morning meeting. He also tossed a football around with Jansen. …

Longtime Dodgers third baseman Ron Cey is in camp as a special guest instructor.